Latest News
Latest News
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Latest information from MCC for future term dates
Tue 30 Jun 2020School year 2020-2021
Term
Start
Half-term starts
Half-term ends
Term ends
Autumn
1 Sept 2020
26 Oct 2020
30 Oct 2020
18 Dec 2020
Spring
4 Jan 2021
15 Feb 2021
19 Feb 2021
26 Mar 2021
Summer
12 April 2021
31 May 2021
4 June 2021
20 July 2021
School year 2021-2022
Term
Start
Half-term starts
Half-term ends
Term ends
Autumn
2 Sept 2021
25 Oct 2021
29 Oct 2021
17 Dec 2021
Spring
4 Jan 2022
21 Feb 2022
25 Feb 2022
8 April 2022
Summer
25 April 2022
30 May 2022
3 June 2022
22 July 2022
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Key messages for Monday
Fri 26 Jun 2020Dear Parents/Carers/Families,
Below is a summary of the main points in preparation for our return on Monday as I know that the initial letter was long and full of so much information!
Key messages are;
- Arrive on time
- Stay in the bottom car park (maintain 2m social distancing) to drop off/collect your children
- Only a snack, labelled drink and sun hat (if needed and sun cream pre applied), in a disposable bag.
- No lunch
- If you are unsure of your child’s allocated day, please contact the class teacher
- For further detail, look at the original letter
Families(children come at this time not their year group time if part of an ARW family)
line up by the gold or green markers
(starting with the gold).
9.30-1.00
Year 6
line up by the red markers.
9.00-12.30
Year 5
line up by the red markers.
9.15-12.45
Year 4
line up by the green markers.
9.00-12.30
Year 3
line up by the green markers.
9.15-12.45
Year 2
line up by the gold markers.
9.00-12.30
Year 1
line up by the gold markers.
9.15-12.45
Year R
line up by the red markers.
9.30-1.00
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Provincial Website Curch in Wales
Thu 25 Jun 2020Here are a few words from Dr Annette Daly, our Diocesan Director of Education.
https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/news-and-events/top-marks-teachers/
I also want to thank the staff at ARW CiW Primary, for their dedication, commitment, hard work and team spirit as we have worked through this very unusual set of circumstances!
They make a great team, and with our families soon to return, we collectively become a fabulous team!
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Further clarification of return to school arrangements
Thu 25 Jun 2020Dear All,
As we prepare to open on Monday, various queries are coming my way, which I am more than happy to respond to.
I thought that in all probability, many others would be wondering the same things, so, I will post my responses on the ‘Latest News’ so that everyone can benefit from this additional information. I will put general headings for ease:
Uniform:
With regard to uniform, if anything still fits, then we recommend that children wear it as it will give a sense of 'normal school' to children, but if clothes are too small, then don’t worry, normal clothes will be fine.
September organisation:
At this moment in time, Welsh Government plans that schools will have the same organisation in September as to now and that these three weeks are a trial period for us as a school as well as for pupils to check in and catch up their teacher or familiar adult.
Any changes in the meantime or during the holidays will be shared with families via our school webpage and through direct email.
What to bring:
Nothing needs to come in from home except for a labelled drink and healthy snack... sun hat if required! (Children do not need lunch)
We will provide a zippy wallet per child and we will put pens, pencils, glue sticks etc. into that wallet. This wallet will be labelled with the child's name, and this will only be used by your child. Children will also have an allocated space within the room, and all spaces have been measured as 2m apart.
Staff will be adding photos or videos onto their class page by Friday lunchtime (26.6.2020), so that children can see what school looks line and know what to expect.
Family arrival and departure
Family groups arrive at 9.30 am and will be picked up at 1.00pm. They do not come at the same time as their class, but at the time that families assemble. Families can stand together at a green or gold marker.
If you are unsure of anything, contact your class teacher or the or the office and we will endeavour to shed a bit of light onto matters!
Kind regards,
Caroline Swann
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Our wonderful Ambassadors this week!
Fri 12 Jun 202012.06.2020
Archbishop Rowan Williams CiW Primary School
proudly present to you this week’s Ambassadors:
Billie Rowan-Williams- for astounding us all and producing 8 eggs!!!
Mr Edinborough- for working so hard while we have been learning at home, and making our school look beautiful!
Elizabeth Phelps- For OUTSTANDING reading!
Amber-Brie- for by recycling and collecting rubbish, helping to sustain our planet. She has also been a very brave person!
Lilia Morris- for being an ambitious and capable learner with her maths!
Lyla Jones- for being an ambitious learner and using excellent adjectives when describing a setting
Ruby May- for working hard in all areas of her learning
Emma Bailey- for being creative and making a movie about her nature walk
Abigail Fuller-Holtam -for being an ambitious, capable learner who turns in every single piece of work set, completed to high standards. Very proud of you Abigail! Well done!
Zack Reece- for being an enterprising and creative learner who have produced fabulous literacy videos this week.
Lila Ramsden- for being an enterprising and creative learner who have produced fabulous literacy videos this week.
Abi Ost – for being highly creative! She has, as part of her topic, she made up a country, written it’s background information, then created a national dish. She then wrote instructions on how to make this dish… and cooked it!
Harrison Thorn – for persevering with a story map of the myth of the Welsh flag and producing an amazing piece of work
Evan Powell- for excellent work in all areas of learning and always going above and beyond. He has been extremely ambitious and attempted the hot chilli challenges throughout his home learning!
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Update from Monmouthshire County Council
Fri 05 Jun 2020Tel/Ffôn: 01633 644582 Fax/Ffacs: E-mail/E-bost: willmclean@monmouthshire.gov.uk Our Ref/Ein Cyf: Your Ref/Eich Cyf: Date/Dyddiad: 5th June 2020
Dear Parents/Carers
I write to share with you the latest information about the phased re-opening of all Monmouthshire schools. The Minister for Education in Wales (Kirsty Williams) announced on 3 June 2020 that all children would have the opportunity to ‘Check in, Catch up, Prepare’ for the remainder of the summer and for the new school year in September. The next phase will start on 29 June 2020 with term extended by a week and will end on 27 July 2020.
This is an anxious time for everyone. Whilst there has been a fall in COVID-19 cases nationally, we also know that for some of our families lockdown has been a challenging period. Some in our community have experienced loss and grief, others will have encountered financial challenges and we have all experienced change and uncertainty. This next stage will see us begin to move forward gradually in a managed way so that we do not see an increase in cases locally but in a way that allows our children and young people to engage with their schools before the summer holidays.
I know that many of you may feel uncertain and have many questions about your child(ren)’s individual circumstances. I want to be clear that at every stage the safety of children, staff and their families is our absolute priority. We want to help deal with those questions and address your concerns.
At this stage in our preparations and planning, I want to reassure you that no pupils who are in receipt of a shielding letter due to their medical vulnerability or who live in a household with someone who is in receipt of a shielding letter should return to school.
Across the county, our school leadership teams will be carrying out risk assessments to help them identify the approach that is right in your child’s school. As a council, we acknowledge that not all schools will be able to meet the Welsh Government’s ambitions immediately. Capacity in schools will vary and many schools will need to introduce a phased re-integration. This might affect the year groups that can attend and the days available.
Schools will work very differently in the short term i.e. the rest of this summer term and I also want to stress that at this stage I anticipate a different method of school
operation in September. Class sizes will be small and in line with the social distancing arrangements that schools will implement. The day will look and feel very different to how children will have experienced it previously, break times and lunch times may be staggered, school start and finish times may be different and ‘traditional’ lessons will no longer take place. We will be working closely with schools leaders and governors to try to ensure consistency in terms of principles and approach.
The provision of transport is particularly challenging as we apply strict safety and social distancing arrangements on all vehicles. I will provide further details in due course.
We recognise that the new pattern of school opening may create difficulties for some working parents. We are creating a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) for the council website in the near future and I will write again to let you know when these are available. The Minister has been clear that the existing provision for key worker children and vulnerable learners will continue.
I am sure we all agree that it will be good for children to return to school but it has to be when schools and parents are confident that this is safe. Monmouthshire Council continues to work closely with all our schools who, I am sure that you will agree, have performed a fantastic job under very difficult conditions.
I will write to you again once we have had further guidance from Welsh Government. There is lots to consider, as I am sure you appreciate and there will be more information for you as soon as possible.
Thank you in anticipation of your continued support.
Yours faithfully
Will McLean Chief Officer – Children & Young People -
Big Big News!!!!!!
Fri 05 Jun 2020Some new additions to our school family!
Well!!! This started as a bit of a worry!
Mrs Hoare rang me to say that she was really worried about Billy, our little boy tortoise, because he wasn’t able to walk. We both agreed that she needed to take him to the vet so that they could help our Billy.
So, the story changed from being a bit of a worry, to a bit of a puzzle! The vet said that they were not an expert in the medical needs of a tortoise, so they decided to take an x-ray and send the pictures to the zoo for an expert to have a look and help us.
That’s when our story changed from a worry, to a puzzle and then a SHOCK!!!!
Take a look at the x-ray!
So…Billy is a girl! We are going to still call her Billie, but spell her name differently.
The vet then said to take her home and let her walk onto some nice soft soil, where she can dig.
So that’s just what Mrs Hoare did!
She rushed home with Billie and got out a fresh bag of soil and tipped it into a tub. Billie loved it and laid her eggs straight away until there were 8 beautiful eggs nestled in the soil! Luna was there too and was very interested in proceedings!
Billie was shattered and fell fast asleep, slept right through the night and didn’t wake up until Mrs Hoare woke her up with a tasty strawberry ...mmmmmm!
The next day, Billie could walk again! Yay!
Now before we get too excited (even though I am!) the vet said that the eggs probably won’t hatch, so we may not get any baby tortoises, but, we have put them into an incubator just in case…fingers crossed!
Well isn’t that fabulous new!....we have been so excited to tell you x
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This weeks fabulous ambassadors!
Fri 05 Jun 202005.06.2020
Archbishop Rowan Williams CiW Primary School
proudly present to you this week’s Ambassadors:
Caitlin Leigh – Showing beautiful creativity in her ‘Seasons Artwork’
Clemence Edwards – Being resilient and consistently challenging her learning, such an excellent quality!
Troy Andrews – Being a resilient learner and completing all of his maths! Well done Troy!
Theo Taylor – For super reading and excellent understanding of his recycling text
Jarvis Steel- For being an ethical, informed citizen by showing understanding and compassion to his fellow classmates when writing thoughtful reflections about each of them.
Esther Pridmore – For showing excellent creativity in her story map of a Welsh myth
Lara Williams- For excellent engagement with a topic activity – cooking her ‘National Dish’…I bet it was delicious!
Theo Reed- who has definitely been a healthy and ethical member of our community as he has run 6 and a half marathons to raise money for Ty Hafan… outstanding!
Ollie Jones- For great reading and writing and using these skills to write a lovely letter to his teachers… Diolch!
Brody Harris- For great enthusiasm in all of his learning…well done! So proud of you keeping up such enthusiasm!
Louis George - For being ambitious and capable. Home learning isn’t always a favourite thing to do, but even so, he has persevered and tackled all tasks. The work he is providing is at a great standard and presentation is beautiful. Well done Louis…super proud of you!
Caitlin Watkins - For demonstrating perseverance and enthusiasm towards her reading in the hub school. Well done Caitlin…I am looking forward to you reading to me soon!
Alex Wall -For demonstrating creativity and perseverance with his under the sea model. Well done…this is the route to success!
Jude Thorn – For demonstrating his ability to work independently and direct his own learning. Well done Jude…this is an excellent life skill to have!
Harrison Jones – For an excellent recycling leaflet showing he understanding of how to be sustainable.
Sara Walbyoff – For transferring her maths skills to real life and making a delicious chocolate cake… fabulous!
Ffion Silcox – Using BSL to sign her name… you can show us how you do it soon!
Lyla Jones – For showing imagination and creativity in her Giraffe creation.
Millie Hubbard – For setting herself high expectations and always putting effort into her learning.
Erin Heneghan – For engaging in her learning and having an ambitious attitude.
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Key points from Kirsty Williams
Wed 03 Jun 2020Dear Parents, Carers, Families,
We now know some timings for your return.
I appreciate that at this stage you will have significant concerns.
I am waiting for further guidance from Welsh Government and Monmouthshire County Council before mapping the detail of our future arrangements. I am also using the thoughts that you have shared via the school email to inform how we plan our next steps.
I may not have information to share for a little while, but rest assured, the work really is going on behind the scenes! I am just mindful to only share information once it has been scrutinised by the senior leadership team, teachers, governing body and associated outside agencies. This liaison takes time as participants need to reflect in order for feedback to be meaningful, hence the ‘gap in transmission’ on the schools ‘latest news’.
As soon as I have information to share, I will update you, and in the meantime, please stay in touch with us via the school website, and use the email address to contact us if you would like.
Below are the main points shared by Kirsty Williams today.
Take care and stay safe,
Caroline Swann
Key Points from the Education Minister for Wales, Kirsty Williams
A limited reopening for all age groups will begin on Monday, 29 June.
"We are proposing to extend the term by one week to end on the 27th of July, with an extra week’s break at autumn half-term".
"Year groups will be split into cohorts with staggered starts, lessons and breaks, meaning at most, a third of pupils will be present at any one time.
"Year groups will be split into cohorts with staggered starts, lessons and breaks, meaning at most, a third of pupils will be present at any one time.
"We will see much smaller classes, providing secure, dedicated time with teachers and classmates".
"We will use the last weeks of the summer term to make sure pupils, staff and parents are prepared – mentally, emotionally and practically – for the ‘new normal’ in September.
Education Minister Kirsty Williams says parents who decide not to send their children to school will not be fined in Wales.
"We will respect parents' decisions on what they think is best for them and their children," she said.
Ms Williams said children who have been told to "shield" at home would not be returning to school.
She also said that children with parents on the shielding list would not be attending school either.
The organisation and look of classrooms will change radically
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Return to school responses
Tue 02 Jun 2020Dear Parents/Carers/Families,
Can I thank you for your responses regarding the preparation for our return to school.
I am unable to reply individually to you all, but I am very grateful for your input.
I am using your responses to guide our school based discussions, and I am also aiming to make a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ document with them. I think that the answers to these questions will be relevant to all.
Tomorrow there will be an announcement from Welsh Government, which I am sure will give information around possible return dates and some steer on how will be moving forwards as a country. Once we have this information, we can make plans in earnest and share our preparations with you!
I greatly look forward to our gradual transition towards ‘normality’!
Kind regards,
Caroline Swann
